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TOP 10 WAYS TO PROTECT ONLINE PRIVACY
Source: The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
Posted on August 12, 2000
The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants announced today that representatives of
the global accounting profession gathered in Paris last week for a three-day conference to explore
solutions to the risks of e-commerce, including protection of online privacy.
Opportunities for data mining of private information by businesses, government and
individuals have increased exponentially with the growth of the Internet, creating concern in
many sectors. Along with the increased use of the Internet as a medium of exchange for goods
and services comes the need to find the correct balance between the appropriate use of
information for business purposes and real privacy protection for individuals.
"Privacy is one of the most pressing concerns of consumers in the U.S. and other countries," said
Robert Elliott, Chairman of the AICPA. "In a recent IBM/Harris Poll, 94% of U.S. citizens said
they were concerned about the possible misuse of their personal information. As the
representative of over 335,000 individual members of the accounting profession who deal with
confidential information on behalf of both individuals and businesses, we feel strongly about the
need to protect private information. Consumers and businesses want to know that their privacy
is protected both on- and off-line."
Representing Canada, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy,
Netherlands, Scotland, Spain, the United States and Wales, the group recommends the
following ten ways in which Internet users can protect their personal privacy:
- Be cautious about giving personal information. Do not disclose your personal information,
such as your address, telephone number or email address, unless you know WHO is collecting
the information, WHY they are collecting it, and HOW they will use it.
- Use a secure Internet browser. Your browser is used to navigate the Internet and should
comply with industry security standards using a technology like Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)
encryption. The SSL technology encrypts or scrambles your Internet transaction information,
thereby ensuring the security of your transaction. Most computers come with a browser already
installed. You should check to see that it incorporates SSL technology. You can also download
more secure browser versions from the Internet at no cost.
- Make sure the merchant site is secure and review its privacy policy. Look at the merchant's
Web site address, referred to as the Uniform Resource Locator, or "URL," to see of the site is
secure. A secure URL address begins with "https://," where the "s" refers to the fact that the site
is secure. In addition, review the security disclosures of the sites you visit, along with their
privacy policies regarding the collection and use of your personal information.
Some disclosures are easier to locate than others. Look at the bottom of the site's "home page,"
on the transaction page, or in the "About" or "FAQs" section of a site. If you cannot locate these
disclosures, or the web site does not allow you to opt out of having your personal information
gathered for marketing or other purposes, consider moving to another site for your transaction.
Use digital signatures to help authenticate the identity of senders and recipients on the Internet.
- Pay by credit or charge card. In some countries, if you pay for online purchases with a credit or
charge card, your transaction may be protected by additional laws or regulations. Some card
issuers offer online shopping guarantees that ensure that you will not be held responsible for
unauthorized charges made online, and others also may offer additional warranty, return and/or
purchase protection benefits.
- Beware of "Trojan Horse" programs. Be careful when downloading programs off of the
Internet from an unknown source. Avoid programs that carry harmful code inside what appears
to be benign programs or data - these programs can gather your personal information such as
passwords or banking information that exists on both public and private computers.
Known as "Trojan horses," these programs are designed to sneak through firewalls designed to
protect you. If you suspect a Trojan horse has hit your computer, remember that they are NOT
viruses. This means that anti-virus software will not protect you against them nor will it stop
the programs form gathering your private information. You should download a detection
program to find Trojan horses and eliminate or disable them.
- Never give your passwords to anyone online. This warning includes your Internet Service
Provider (ISP). Try to be original when you create a password. The safest type of password
includes unusual combinations of numbers and upper- and lower-case alpha characters, in
addition to symbols. Avoid using your name, telephone number, birth date or other easily
identifiable number or code.
- Keep records of your online transactions and check your credit card statements. Always keep a
copy of each purchase order along with a confirmation number for the transaction and put into
your files. This information could be useful if you need to contact the merchant again to resolve
delivery and billing problems, as well as process returns of your purchases. Check your credit
card statements each month to verify purchases you made online - confirm that the correct
amount was billed - and to make sure that no unauthorized charges were made.
Contact your card issuer if you find any incorrect or unauthorized charges. Many card issuers will
remove the charge in question until it is resolved with the merchant. Also contact the merchant
directly if you have any question about a charge for one of your purchases. Report any suspected
fraudulent use of your credit card to your card issuer.
- Monitor the use of "cookies" by a site. Sometimes a site will want to place a cookie onto your
computer for purposes of tracking your behavior. Cookies are small pieces of code that can also
keep track of passwords and user IDs when you sign onto a site. However, be aware that cookies
can also track your site navigation even after you leave a site - this helps them to create a user
profile of your online behavior. You can configure your browser to notify you when a site wants
to place a cookie onto your computer, giving you the option to decline the cookie.
- Do not allow children to use the Internet without supervision. Children are particularly
vulnerable when it comes to giving out personal information. Be sure to supervise your
children when they are online, particularly when they are shopping or being asked to provide
personal information. Global Accounting Profession Recommends Privacy Tips August 1, 2000
Page Five
- Look for sites that have been independently tested and verified. Look for sites that have been
independently tested and verified by a third party to ensure the site has met certain principles
and criteria covering acceptable privacy protection, security controls, disclosure of business
practices and procedures, and integrity of transactions. For additional information about best
practices for online privacy and other e-commerce issues, please refer to the WebTrust Principles
and Criteria that can be found by visiting http://WebTrust.net or
http://www.aicpa.org/webtrust/index.htm.
If you believe that your privacy has been violated by a web site, the AICPA recommends you take
the following actions: contact the Consumer Response Center at the US Federal Trade
Commission's Bureau of Consumer Protection. This Center can be reached by calling toll-free at
1-877-FTC-HELP or writing them at: Consumer Response Center, Federal Trade Commission,
Washington, D.C., 20580. You can also contact the National Consumer League's National Fraud
Information Center toll-free at 1-800-876-7060 or visit their Web site at www.fraud.org.
E-Commerce Alerts are issued by Bennett Gold LLP, Chartered Professional Accountants as situations develop. Bookmark this site and check back often. Our e-mail address is: info@BennettGold.ca
In accordance with United States Code, Title 17, Section 107 and Article 10 of The Berne Convention on Literary and Artistic Works, the news clippings on this web site are made available without profit for research and educational purposes.
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